the mother of dragons
by littlehanyan
Summary: What were you supposed to do when your kingdom was at war which you were bound to lose? Usually there were arranged marriages, peace treaties and all that stuff. However, if you were like Izumi Yukihira and would rather defend the palace all by yourself than marry someone you don't love, that was simply not an option. In that case you had to settle for the next best thing- dragons.
1. Chapter 1

What were you supposed to do when your kingdom was at war which you were bound to lose? Usually there were arranged marriages, peace treaties and all that stuff. However, if you were like Izumi Yukihira and would rather defend the palace all by yourself than marry someone you don't love, that was simply not an option. In that case you had to settle for the next best thing- dragons.

And that's how Izumi found himself standing in front of a huge cave in the middle of nowhere. He would have been worried that he had got the wrong place if it weren't for the dragon that had flown so close to him that for a moment Izumi had thought it was going to eat him for lunch. Truth to be told, he was quite scared. It was the help of dragons he was seeking so there was a possibility that he might be burned to a crisp or eaten or something equally horrible. But if there was something he could do to prevent a potential arranged marriage, he would do it. He had come so far and couldn't back out now. Besides, he had promised his royal advisors that if he couldn't get help from the dragons he would marry whoever they wanted.

Izumi lit up his torch, took a deep breath and entered the cave. He walked for a while until he reached the end of the tunnel and entered a huge stone hall. There were two sleeping dragons, one red and one black, and a girl between them. He had heard stories about The Mother of Dragons, a girl that raised three dragons since they were babies and who was still living with them, but he had thought they were all myths.

While he was lost in thought, the girl had woken up. She was currently staring at him with her large brown eyes. The girl was wearing a short dress that had been white once, but now it had more of a greyish colour because of all the dirt in the cave, and had long auburn hair that was put in a braid. He could tell she was quite younger than him, at least 10 years.

Izumi cleared his throat and took a step closer. ''Are you The Mother of Dragons?''

She did not move, just blinked at him. ''Yes, I have been called that. Who are you?''

''I'm Izumi Yukihira from the kingdom of Alicea. My kingdom is in great danger and I'm in desperate need of your help.''

''No.'' She simply said and sat on the ground, probably with the intention to go back to sleep.

''What? You're telling me I came all the way here for nothing? Why won't you help me?''

''There's nothing in it for me. And besides, I don't like humans.''

''Aren't you a human as well?''

''Your point? Either way, I'm not going to help you.''

Izumi clenched his fists, this girl was starting to get on his nerves. ''You're a real brat, you know that?''

''That attitude does not make me more willing to help you.''

He sighed in defeat and plopped down on the ground. The girl stared at him in disbelief. ''What are you doing?''

''I'm staying until you agree to help me.''

''You're an idiot.''

''I know.''

* * *

When night came, Izumi started doubting his plan. The cave was extremely cold and he was afraid that if he stayed there he would freeze to death. He did not want to give up, not only because of his kingdom but also because his pride would not allow it but he was starting to think that he might have to if he wanted to survive.

Izumi was about to head out when he heard the girl call him. ''You can come here and sleep here. I know the cave is cold.''

The girl sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Izumi stared at her in disbelief. ''You mean… sleep with you and the dragons?''

She nodded her head and patted the space next to her. ''There is enough space for both of us. I don't want you to freeze to death. I'm not as cruel and mean as you seem to think I am.''

''I don't think you're cruel or mean. I think you are a brat.'' Izumi walked towards her and ruffled her hair before sitting down. ''It really is warm here.'' He exclaimed.

She did not seem to like the fact that he had called her a brat, huffed and looked away but glanced at him when he continued talking. ''I told you. Their skin is like a furnace.'' Izumi was about to touch it but stopped himself halfway. ''Go ahead. They won't do anything to you unless I tell them to.''

''That doesn't sound very reassuring.'' Izumi mumbled and touched the dragon's scales with his hand. She was right. They really were warm.

''Well, it's better than nothing.'' The girl was starting to get better with comebacks. That was not good. Izumi had to at least win in the war with words but that didn't seem to likely anymore.

''That's true.''

She lied down with her back to Izumi. ''Just don't try anything funny or I'll have my dragons eat you.''

Izumi's face flushed and he lied as far away from her as possible. ''Why would I do anything? You're a kid.''

No one said anything after that. Both of them tried to sleep but something was keeping Izumi awake. ''Hey, do you have a name?''

''Ugh… what…?'' She mumbled sleepily.

''A name. Do you have one? I need something to address you with and Mother of Dragons sounds too weird.'' The girl thought for a moment then said something that Izumi could not hear. ''Huh? Can you repeat that?''

''Yuka. People used to call me Yuka.''

''Yuka.'' Izumi tried it out to see how it sounded from his mouth. ''That's a really lovely name.'' He turned around and grinned at her. ''Thank you for letting me sleep here with you, Yuka.''

Yuka did not hear him, though. She was already asleep.

* * *

Sometime during the next day the three dragons went out and Izumi was left alone in the cave with Yuka. She was currently trying to braid her hair and Izumi was watching her.

''Can… can I try?'' He mumbled.

Yuka turned to look at him. ''You want to… braid my hair?''

He nodded his head. ''I've never done that before and was wondering… how it was done and… Ugh, forget it.''

She chuckled and moved to sit in front of him. ''You can try. I doubt you'll be able to do it though.''

''We'll see about that.'' Izumi muttered even though he knew she was right. He tried his best to copy what she had been doing before but it looked a lot less pretty than hers.

''Sometimes I think about cutting my hair. Long hair annoys me sometimes.'' Yuka sighed.

''No!'' Izumi exclaimed and Yuka glanced at him from behind her shoulder, he was beat red. ''Umm… long hair really suits you… umm…''

Yuka blushed as well and looked forward. ''T-then I guess I'll keep it that way. It's a bit inconvenient but I quite like it as well.''

Izumi continued trying to braid her hair but he did not seem to be getting any better. ''You said you don't like people. Why?'' Yuka looked down at her lap and fell silent. ''Ugh, you don't have to answer if you don't want to.''

''When I was young I used to live in a village far away from here. The people from that village… they burned me.''

''WHAT?!'' Izumi jumped up but then realized he had pulled her hair and sat back down. ''Sorry.''

''It's fine.'' Yuka bit her lip and continued. ''They thought I was a witch so one night they set my house on fire. Before I realized what was going on it was too late.''

Izumi's hands started shaking and his attempts at braiding became even worse. ''But… you are alive?''

''Yes. I survived, even I don't know how. Maybe I really was a witch. I don't know.'' She shrugged. ''I had three dragon eggs from my grandmother. When the house burned down, there was nothing left except for me and three small dragons. They must have hatched from their eggs because of the heat.''

''What happened after that?''

''The villagers did not try to kill me if that's what you're asking. They were too afraid to try again. They did kick me out, though. That's how I found myself here.''

''And you've been living here with your dragons ever since?''

Yuka nodded her head. ''You're the first human I've seen in years.''

Izumi let go of Yuka's hair and wrapped his arms around her. Both of them turned red in the face. ''W-what are you doing?''

''I had no idea you went through something like that. I'm sorry.''

''Don't apologize. There's no way you could have known.''

''I'm still sorry.''

Yuka did not know what to do. No matter what she said he continued to apologise and held her for a long time. She got so used to the feeling of his arms around her that she missed it when he let go.

Maybe humans weren't so bad after all.

* * *

Izumi had made a decision the moment Yuka had told him about her past. There was no way he was going to continue asking for her help, not after he had learned what she had been though. It would be selfish of him to do that.

When he woke up, Yuka was nowhere to be seen and so were two of the dragons. The third one, however, was still lying next to him. Yuka must have told it to stay and keep Izumi warm. She could be really nice if she wanted to. He would miss her.

Izumi made his way out of the cave but when he exited it, he saw one of the dragons making circles in the air with Yuka on its its back. When it saw Izumi, the dragon flew closer to the ground.

''Where are you going?'' Yuka asked.

''Home. Now I understand why you don't like humans and I can't keep asking for your help.''

Yuka bit help lip and looked him in the eyes. ''I have decided to help you.'' She declared.

Izumi could not believe what he was hearing. ''What? Really?''

She nodded her head, her cheeks read. ''You aren't too bad… for a human.''

Izumi smiled at her. ''And you aren't too bad for a brat.''

Yuka held out her hand for him, he took it and climbed on the dragon's back behind Yuka. ''Now let's go save your kingdom.''

* * *

Basically Yuka is a weird mix between Daenerys Targaryen and San from Princess Mononoke. I don't know how that happened.

This fic will definitely have a second chapter that will focus more on the romance between Izumi and Yuka. Then (at some point) I'm going to write a sequel, which is an A Song of Ice and Fire!AU I've wanted to write for quite some time, way before I even thought of this fic. I don't know when that will be because I'll be quite busy with school and I also have other fics I want to update but it WILL happen.


	2. Chapter 2

It was surprisingly easy to win a war when you had dragons on your side. By the time Izumi came back, Kunoji's army had almost managed to get inside King's Landing, but with Yuka's help it didn't take long for the soldiers to fall back. Izumi's advisors looked at him in disbelief as he jumped from the dragon's back and held out a hand to Yuka. She seemed reluctant at first, but eventually took it.

Izumi was hit with a wave for affection for the girl, pulled her in for a hug and squeezed her tight. He owed everything to her. If it weren't for her, he probably wouldn't be here now.

"We did it, Yuka!" It was then that he realized what he had done and let her go. Her face was bright red and he was pretty sure his was too.

He had worked so hard to earn her trust and they had finally started to get along. Way to ruin it, Izumi.

"Your Grace, you are back," one of his advisors blurted out. "And with dragons!"

Izumi cleared his throat then looked at the man."I told I'd do it. I never go back on my word," he grinned. Well, that was not exactly true, but everyone was too overwhelmed to point it out.

"And the lady must be…?"

She was hiding behind Izumi and didn't seem to want to interact with the other humans.

He turned towards his advisors and soldiers. "This is Yuka, the Mother of Dragons," he introduced her. "Without her we probably wouldn't be here." He felt a jab to the side and turned around. "What? I want everyone to know who was the one that saved them. They all need to know how amazing you are. What's wrong with that?"

"You're really making me regret my decision."

"What? Why?" he whined.

At that Yuka chuckled and Izumi soon followed suit.

* * *

Yuka decided to stay for a while. Meeting Izumi had helped her see humans in a different light. Sure, she had suffered a lot because of some of them, but that did not mean they were all bad. They deserved another chance and she was willing to give it to them.

The hardest thing was definitely saying goodbye to her dragons. They had been her whole world during these past few years and life without them would be very hard to get used to. However, their place wasn't in King's Landing. They needed freedom and the capital couldn't offer them that. She couldn't keep them there. And as much as she loved hem, she realized they were wild beasts, it would not be safe for the people.

Izumi had welcomed her into his castle with open arms. He seemed very happy to have her there and she shared the sentiment. She actually liked him a lot, even if he was obnoxious sometimes, and wished to get to know him better. Unfortunately, he had a lot of duties as king and could not spend as much time with her as she wanted. And that was fine. He might have been her main reason to stay, but she really did want to get to know more people. She was just a bit self-conscious. After all, she hadn't spoken to other humans for years.

Other than human interaction, the thing she had trouble getting used to were the clothes. It was not like she had walked around naked before, but it sure seemed that way when you compared her previous attire to the dresses at her disposal right now. They were all very pretty, but had so many layers and she sometimes felt trapped underneath all those fabrics. The clothes also limited her movements a little bit, but she supposed the ladies in court did not tend to run around much

Not to mention that they were so hard to put on that she probably wouldn't have been able to do it herself. Thankfully Izumi had assigned a servant to help her with that task. The fact that she actually had servants was still extremely weird to her and she tried not to rely on them all the time, but some things she could just not do on her own.

Yuka could bear it most of the time, but sometimes it became a bit much. That's when she would find herself walking around the gardens in the early hours of the day wearing only her nightgown. If any of the people from the castle saw her like that, they would probably scream and she would never hear the end of it.

But what they didn't know, couldn't hurt them. No one was out and about so early, so she was safe.

Yuka was sitting under an apple tree looking at the horizon when she heard someone call her name. She turned around abruptly and blinked. "Izumi? I mean, Your Grace."

"Yuka? What are you doing out here so early?" Izumi yawned and rubbed his eyes. He looked so sleepy that it was actually cute. She had never seen this side of him. "And didn't I tell you that calling me by my name is perfectly fine."

"Well, yes, but no one else does that so it doesn't feel right. Besides, you're the king."

"If I tell you it's fine, then it is. It's weird when you try to be all formal with me." It was weird for her, too. In her mind he was just Izumi, not the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. "Can I join you?"

She nodded her head and moved to the side so he had more space to sit. Izumi stretched and plopped next to her on the ground. It was then that he noticed her attire, but decided not to comment on it. "You never answered my question," He looked at her and grinned. "What brings you here so early?"

"I woke up early and wanted some alone time. I like watching the sun rise."

"Oh, then I must be in the way. I'm sorry. I'll go if you-"

"No." Yuka shook her head. She could not believe he was apologizing to her for something like that. It was surreal. "Your presence is rather welcome, actually."

"That's good to know, because right now, I am too lazy to actually move away." She didn't notice when he had moved closer to her, but realized she didn't mind it much. "So, what do you think of life in the castle?" he questioned.

Yuka hugged her knees and stared at the horizon. "It's certainly different from what I'm used to, but it's not bad. Everyone is really nice to me." She felt her lips curl into a smile. "I'm glad I gave humans a second chance. I'm quite happy here. Thank you for letting me stay, Izumi."

She felt a weight on her shoulder and looked to the side. Izumi's eyes were closed and he was breathing softly. He looked kind of cute. Yuka blushed at that thought, she knew she really shouldn't be thinking such things.

He really was cute, though.

* * *

Yuka had never seen such a beautiful woman in her whole life. Her hair was long and black and braided to the side. She wore an elegant red dress that complimented her crimson eyes, eyes that were boring right into Yuka's soul. Or at least it seemed that way to her.

"Yuka, allow me to introduce you to Lady Kaoru Hyuuga from Dorne."

Dorne? Where was that again? If Yuka wasn't wrong, it was somewhere in the south. It had been a long time since her last history lesson.

Lady Hyuuga curtsied quickly and walked closer to Yuka. "It really is a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you that it feels like I already know you."

"You've heard about me?" The woman's presence was so overwhelming Yuka could hardly form a sentence.

"But of course! The beautiful Mother of Dragons who saved King's Landing. Word of that reached even Dorne," Lady Hyuuga said with a smile. "However, I learned most of it from him." She glanced at Izumi. "Once he starts talking about you he cannot stop. He's quite taken with you."

"That's more than enough, Kaoru." Izumi took a few steps towards them. A wild blush had spread all over his face and Yuka could feel her cheeks heating up as well.

"Don't you have work with my husband, Izumi? I believe he said it was of utmost importance and unavoidable." She gestured towards the man who had just walked into the room. "However, I can't say that I'll find it terribly interesting. I'm sure Lady Yuka will agree. For that reason we are going to take a walk in the gardens. If she has nothing against it, of course."

Lord Hyuuga sighed at the mischief in his wife's eyes. He was obviously used to it already and knew there was nothing he could do.

Yuka shook her head. "It sounds lovely. I don't know if you'll find my company satisfying, though."

"Nonsense. I am sure we'll have a good time. Now let us go." She offered her arm to Yuka and the girl took it.

For a while, she could hear Izumi's complaints, but there was no bite to them. He was not angry, just embarrassed and worried about what Lady Hyuuga might say. Yuka could understand, in just ten minutes the noblewoman had managed to embarrass both of them immensely. Who knew what was she capable of if she had time?

"So, Lady Yuka, what do you think of life in the palace?"

The question was so normal that it actually surprised Yuka. "I like it. I've managed to make a lot of friends and learn so many new things," she said with a smile. "And you can just call me Yuka. Hearing the word 'lady' in front of my name is really odd. And besides, I'm not actually a lady."

"Only if you call me Kaoru. I'm not fond of all the formalities."

"But you're nobility. It doesn't feel right to do that." Yuka was having a sense of déjà vu. She had had almost the same conversation with Izumi before.

"That does not matter. I'd like you to call me by my name. I'm sure we'll become great friends soon enough, so you won't need the formalities anyway. Come on, try calling me by my name."

"K-Kaoru…"

"Yes, just like that. If you continue doing it, soon you won't feel awkward addressing me like that."

Lady Hyuu- no, _Kaoru_ was right. Yuka felt weird when she used all those titles anyway. It had been a long time since she'd been around humans and even then she hadn't met many nobles. She had lived in a very small village, after all. And truth to be told, she disliked the formalities. They felt awkward coming out of her mouth so she was actually quite happy that Kaoru wanted her to use her given name.

It also felt like they were closer.

"How long have you known, Izumi?" She couldn't help it, she was curious. After all, the man never shared anything about his life before meeting her or about his friends.

"So you don't use a title with him either?" Kaoru teased.

Yuka flushed and looked away. "He said it was weird when I did it because I did not do it at first."

"Either that or he wanted to get closer to you. Probably both," the woman chuckled. "I've known him for a long time actually, ever since we were kids," she admitted, finally answering Yuka's question. "Our parents wanted us to get married, but I didn't want to even hear about it. He was like a brother to me, I could never see him as my husband."

Yuka hummed as she listened to Kaoru's story. Arranged marriages were not uncommon in Westeros, especially among the nobility. She was actually surprised that their parents hadn't forced them to get married. The wishes of children weren't as important as peace treaties and the like.

"Soon enough I met my current husband and could not help but fool around with him a bit. After that I decided that I should probably take responsibility and I married him. We're quite happy so it was a good match."

People did not normally share such intimate details with people they barely knew, did they? Kaoru was certainly very abnormal for a woman with noble blood. It made it easier to talk to her even if some of the things she said were quite embarrassing.

"What about Izumi? Do you think he would have liked to marry you?" She knew Kaoru would probably tease her for asking, but she could not help herself.

"Oh, definitely not. I think he was even more repulsed by the idea than I was and that says a lot." She looked at Yuka and winked at her. "He's a firm believer of true love, too. He's had a few relationships through the years, but he's never been interested in anyone seriously. Until now that is."

After that the conversation shifted towards other things. By the time Izumi and Lord Hyuuga were done with their work and came to look for them in the garden, the women had bonded quite a bit. Yuka truly felt like she had made a good friend. She'd never truly had one before. Even the people she's considered close, had betrayed her. But something was telling her Kaoru was different.

Before their departure she saw Kaoru walk towards Izumi and tell him something, which caused him to blush. Yuka could not blame him because what she had heard had sounded suspiciously like _"I like this one. You better keep her."_

Knowing Kaoru, and judging by her husband's reaction, that was probably exactly what she had said.

* * *

Yuka had heard a great deal about jousting, but had never been to one before, which was why she was so excited for the upcoming event in King's Landing. It was one of the most beloved celebrations. The preparations had taken weeks and many noble families had been invited. The capital was bustling with life and everyone seemed to share her excitement. The participants were knights from all over Westeros, but the most amazing thing was that Izumi himself was going to take part in it. Yuka had seen him fight during the war, but a tournament was different. She was really looking forward to it.

She was dressed in a blue gown, much more extravagant than the ones she usually wore, specifically for the occasion. Her hair was put in a waterfall braid with a few flowers scattered around in auburn strands. When she looked at herself in the mirror she truly thought she looked beautiful. She wondered if Izumi would think so, too.

Yuka hadn't seen him the whole day- because he was getting ready for the tournament, but she really needed a moment with him now. She had to give him something and waiting until the end of the event would not do. There would be no point in the gesture then.

She made her way to the tent where he was supposed to be putting on his armor. Stopping in front of it, Yuka took a deep breath, as if she was gathering her courage. "Izumi? It's Yuka. Can I come in?"

"Of course," she heard his voice from inside.

The girl entered the tent and her eyes found Izumi who had already put on most of his armor- all that was left was the helmet. She took a few steps towards him and bit her bottom lip. "I… I have something for you."

That's when he glanced at her hands and noticed she was clutching something in them. It obviously got him curious. "What is it?"

"Could you give me your hand?"

He did as he was told and Yuka wrapped a red ribbon around his arm.

Izumi blinked at her. "This ribbons is… from back in the cave?" It was the one she used to tie her hair with and the only thing she had left from her old home.

"I-it's for good luck." Her face was completely red. "I was told that ladies often give something to knights before battles or tournaments so I thought I could also… Oh, forget about it. It was stupid."

Why would he even want her ribbon in the first place? He had probably received countless gifts way more amazing than hers. He probably didn't even remember that he had used it to tie her hair after he tried to braid it. She had felt the touch of another human again after so long. It was an important memory for her, but that did not mean Izumi shared the sentiment. She was probably just bothering him right now.

She was about to untie it, but Izumi stopped her by putting his hand on hers. "Thank you. I really appreciate it," he said with a smile and gave her hand a squeeze.

Yuka grinned back at him. "I'm glad."

They stared at each other until Yuka cleared her throat. "The tournament will start soon and I need to find Kaoru. I'll see you later."

The girl was almost at the door when Izumi called after her and she turned to look back at him.

"There is no way I will lose now."

And he didn't. Not even once.

* * *

Yuka had accepted that she had feelings for Izumi. At this point it was futile to deny it. He was always on her mind and when they were together she always stared at him longer than it was appropriate. Every touched caused her to blush furiously and stutter.

She was sure he felt the same way, but he hadn't made a move to change their relationship. Kaoru said it was because he was scared. After all he had never been in love with anyone before. Still, if neither of them dared to move, nothing would change. That was why Yuka decided to take the matters into her own hands.

Still, she regretted asking Kaoru for love advice. She had known that the other woman would say something inappropriate, she always did. But there was no one else Yuka could ask about those sort of things. And besides, such behavior had gotten Kaoru and her husband together so it obviously worked.

This is why she found herself pacing around her room wearing only her nightgown. She had called Izumi to her chambers and was waiting for him to arrive, but with every second she was starting to doubt herself. _Seduce him_ , Kaoru had said. It was easy for her to say. She was so beautiful and graceful and Yuka was just… well, Yuka. There was nothing that amazing or alluring about her so she didn't think it was possible to actually seduce Izumi. There was no going back though, he was already on his way.

Well, technically, she could always say she doesn't feel well, but she did not want to. She had gone so far already so she might as well get it over with.

There was a knock on her door which made her jump. The girl took a few deep breaths to calm herself before answering in a shaky voice. "You can come in."

The door opened and Izumi walked into the room. Upon seeing her attire, he blushed and looked away. "You should have told me you weren't dressed. I would have given you some time. I-I'll wait outside until you put something on."

He was ready to leave, but Yuka grabbed his arm. "Don't go," she managed to say. Her throat felt extremely dry.

"But, Yuka-"

"I never meant to put on clothes anyway," the girl admitted, her cheeks red.

Izumi swallowed hard. "Yuka, you cannot do that in front of a man."

"Why not?"

"B-because he might start thinking about inappropriate things."

"What if that was my intention from the start?"

Izumi ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "If you act like that, I might kiss you."

"Go ahead."

He looked taken aback. "I might… do other things as well."

Yuka bit her bottom lip and looked up at him. "Go ahead."

Izumi groaned again. "Screw it."

He cupped Yuka's cheeks and pressed his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she eagerly kissed him back. Izumi ran one of his hands through her hair while the other moved downwards to her waist. He broke the kiss to get some air only for Yuka to pull him by the collar for another one. He licked her bottom lip and she opened her mouth to meet his tongue with hers.

Izumi's lips moved to her cheek, then to her neck. Her nightgown had slipped down her shoulder exposing even more skin and soon enough he was trailing kisses down her collarbone causing the girl to let out a gasp. They both knew there would be no going back as Yuka's hands moved to the hem of his shirt and she pulled it over his head. As she let it fall on the floor Izumi grabbed her by the thighs and picked her up. They kissed again as he slowly moved towards her bed.

Usually Yuka hated it when Kaoru was right because she always acted smug about it, but this was an exception.

* * *

Yuka woke up to the feeling of someone running their hands through her hair. It was extremely pleasant so she leaned into the touch. That made the person freeze in their actions and Yuka's eyes fluttered open.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, her voice close to a whine. Izumi did not reply and Yuka sighed. "Do you actually feel guilty because of what happened?"

"Of course I do. I shouldn't have lost my control like that."

"I think most of the blame falls on me. I was the one who tried to seduce you, quite successfully, might I add."

"That you did, but I should have controlled myself better. I'm the older one here."

She shrugged. "If you feel so guilty about it, you can just marry me."

Izumi blinked at her, then sat up. "You are right." Before she had a chance to say anything, he took her hand in his. "This is not the only reason. Truth to be told, I've been in love with you for quite some time, I just didn't think you would want me. Now it's quite clear that you do so…" He cleared his throat. "Yuka, will you marry me?"

It had been a joke. Even though she knew he had feelings for her, Yuka had never expected him to ask her to marry him. She was truly taken aback. It was like a dream come true. Proposing naked in bed was certainly not the most romantic thing, but it totally seemed like something he would do.

She sat up, but burst into giggles which caused her to fall back onto the bed.

"D-don't laugh at me. Aren't you going to give me your answer?" he glared at her.

"Yes. Of course I'll marry you. I'm so in love with you," she said through giggles.

Izumi grinned as he moved closer until he was hovering over her. "If you won't stop, I'll have to make you."

He leaned down to kiss her. "I love you, too, you brat."

* * *

The Mother of Dragons, while not of noble blood, was a good match for the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. No one could deny that. Izumi's advisors and servants were so happy to hear that he was finally willing to get married so they planned the most amazing and memorable wedding in the history of Westeros. Both Izumi and Yuka would have been happy with just a small ceremony, but their opinions were irrelevant. Besides, as the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, Izumi needed to have a huge wedding.

People from all over Westeros came to honor the union. It was so crowded that Yuka actually felt a bit sick. Or it could have been from the fact that she was getting married. She had no idea. Thankfully Kaoru was with her at all times and her presence made Yuka feel at ease.

It was nice to meet members from other noble families, but Yuka felt relieved when the celebrations were over and she and her husband retired to their chambers to indulge in other activities.

All that happiness did not last long, though. Soon after that, as if as a response to that very happy day, Kunoji decided make his next move. He proved that he was still a threat in the worst way possible- his army massacred an entire village.

"How can someone be heartless enough to do this?" Yuka mumbled as she and Izumi looked at what used to be a quaint little town.

Izumi pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "That's why I said you didn't have to come."

Yuka shook her head. "I'm your wife. We promised to face everything together, didn't we?" She took his hand and squeezed it.

That was when one of the soldiers rushed towards them. "Your Grace, we found a survivor."

Izumi and Yuka followed him to one of the houses and found a small child crying in the corner. It was a boy with black hair. The flesh on the right half of his face looked stiff and dead, the skin cracked.

"Greyscale?" Izumi questioned.

The soldier nodded his head. "Yes, Your Grace. I'm afraid we'll have to get rid of him. The disease could spread and besides, he does not have much longer to live anyway."

"Are you out of your minds? We are not killing an innocent child," Izumi growled. "How does that make us better than Kunoji? This boy has been through so much and now you want to take his life too because he won't live much longer anyway? You should be ashamed of yourselves!" His voice was firm, the decision was final. There would be no more arguments on that matter.

He walked closer to the boy and kneeled in front of him. "Hey there," he grinned at him and patted his head. "You must have been scared. Everything's okay now."

The child looked up at him, tears still running down his cheeks. "T-the bad men will not come for me?" He sniffed.

"They won't. I'll make sure of it." And Yuka knew he was intending to keep that promise. She had never met a person with a bigger heart than Izumi. His kindness knew no bounds.

The boy burst into tears again as he jumped into Izumi's arms. The man picked him up and started rocking him. "Shh. You're safe now."

Yuka couldn't even begin to imagine what the poor child had been through. No one deserved to go through something like this. Even if he managed to survive, the scars on his emotional health will be way worse than the physical ones.

She took a few steps forward and put a hand on the boy's back. "You're safe now." she said, repeating her husband's words.

* * *

The name of the child was Rei Serio. His whole family had been a victim to the horrible disease known as Greyscale. He would have lost his life soon enough if Izumi and Yuka hadn't found him.

The disease was probably what had saved his life during the slaughter. People did not tend to come near anyone suffering from Greyscale, they were afraid that they would catch it as well. And they probably thought that killing him would be mercy- after all, it would give him a fast death which was preferable to the agony thee disease would cause him eventually.

It was possible to cure Greyscale, but only during the early stages and even then most people did not survive. Rei seemed to be lucky, because he managed to recover successfully. However, there was nothing that could be done for the state of his face- the skin would stay the way it was. Still, he was alive, and that was what mattered.

What happened in the village still haunted him, though. He had seen the brutal murder of so many people, he would probably never be able to move on from that. At night he woke up screaming and crawled into Izumi and Yuka's bed. Then he cried himself to sleep while Izumi caressed his hair and Yuka sang him lullabies.

Apart from that, Rei was quite happy in the palace. Izumi and Yuka practically adopted him and the three of them spent a lot of time together. He could run around and play and finally have an education. He got some meat on his bones, the colour returned to his face and he became a very healthy child.

Eventually Yuka realized that she was pregnant. The news of the future heir filled the palace with joy. Izumi himself had been so happy when he learned about his future child that he picked Yuka up and spun her around for a good ten minutes. Rei was just as happy. He could not wait until his sibling was born and he promised to always take care of them.

A few months later good news from Dorne reached King's Landing- after many years Kaoru and her husband were finally expecting their first child. Yuka and Kaoru could not help but joke about how amazing it would be if the babies were a boy and a girl and they ended up getting married in the future. It was a nice thought.

* * *

 _The palace was burning down. The air was congested with smoke and the smell of blood. There were soldiers fighting and people running everywhere. Yuka was lying motionless in her bed, her thighs covered in blood. Izumi was surrounded by enemy soldiers. He had fallen to his knees after a sword had pierced his chest. Rei was running away as fast as his legs could carry him with a crying baby in his arms._

Yuka woke up with a scream. Izumi jolted awake and when he saw her state, he quickly embraced her and started running his hands through her hair- that usually managed to calm her down. Usually

"It's okay. It was just a bad dream."

Yuka was covered in sweat and trembling. She just couldn't calm down. It had been just a dream, she knew that much. But then why had it seemed so real?

Rather than a dream, it felt more like a vision.

* * *

 **After 50 years I'm finally done with this. It was supposed to be only around 2000 words so I could tell Izumi and Yuka's story and move on to the sequel that I really want to write, but it ended up being more than 5000 words and I still feel like I could write more. There are so many things left unsaid so I'll probably come back to this eventually and write one-shots about Izumi and Yuka's relationship.**

 **The fic went through 3 betas, but I'm still not sure it's good enough. A big thanks to my friends Sabine, Maria and Tessa for reading through my crap though. I assure you it was much worse before they touched it.**


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